“Excuse me. Everyone, I have a brief announcement to make. Jesus was black, Ronald Reagan was the devil, and the government is lying about 9-11. Thank you for your time and good night.” Oh how I missed the cynicism of Huey Freeman.

The premier of Season 3 of the Boondocks exceeded my expectations. I must tip my hat off to Aaron McGruder. He is probably one of the best cartoonists of the past 50 years. Although I am still upset that this is the last season of the Boondocks, I feel like it will fade off into the sunset the same way the Chappelle Show did. However, I hope Aaron McGruder doesn’t suffer an emotional breakdown like Dave Chappelle. As long as his social commentary doesn’t devolve into buffoonery I don’t think McGruder needs to take any sojourns to South Africa to “find himself”. Tyler Perry, on the other hand, might need to. I digress. Back to Huey, Riley, Grandpa, and Barack Obama.

The first episode, “It’s A Black President, Huey Freeman”, was funny, witty, and at the same time very politically charged. McGruder dove head first into many touchy issues surrounding the 2008 Presidential campaign.

1.) Some Blacks folks voted for Obama simply because he was Black.

Thugnificient, a recurring character in the show, has no idea that Obama is running for President nor is he aware that Obama is Black. When this is brought to his attention he finds it laughable and dubious. However, once he realizes that Obama is a real political candidate with a legitimate shot at winning the Presidential election he becomes a sycophantic Obama supporter. Although Thugnifiicient has no idea what issues Obama stands for he still makes a song for him.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08S4poMGvwA

Also, Grandad and Riley have no idea where Obama stands on the issues but support him nevertheless. Riley candidly says that he supports Obama because “he’s Black”, because he believes he will instantly give back to all Black Americans. Grandad supports Obama because he believes that the struggle for equal rights is over.

2.) Many Obama dissenters bought into the politics of fear based on misinformation and flat out racism.

Uncle Ruckus is livid about the election of Barack Obama. He calls him everything from a Muslim terrorist to a socialist. He is seen in the episode throwing bricks at a cardboard cut-out of Obama’s body.

3.) Obama distanced himself from many people who weren’t even radical.

In the episode, Barack Obama denies having anything to do with Huey Freeman, a suspected 10 year old “domestic terrorist”. The media labels him a terrorist because thought Ronald Reagan was the devil and Jesus was Black.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4ogtmDK6CI

4.) Some Black non-Obama supporters were accused of being race traitors.

Huey’s indifference towards Obama’s win incites a riot. People can’t understand how a black person couldn’t be excited about the election of the first Black President of the United States of America.

The Boondocks is a classic show that unabashedly tells it like it is through parody.

The Black Youth Project is a platform that highlights the voices and ideas of Black millennials. Through knowledge, voice, and action, we work to empower and uplift the lived experiences of young Black Americans today.

Niiiice. So excited about season 3. I can’t wait to watch the episode.

tamara

Niiiice. So excited about season 3. I can’t wait to watch the episode.

Edward

This should be a good one

Edward

This should be a good one

incognegro

Hmmmmm….I don’t know. I am Boondocks fan – I really enjoyed the comic strip, probably more than the show itself; but I would say that the show is far more provocative than the comic strip, and definitely more comedic. But I found this particular episode to be a bit insulting, and as I was telling a friend, it gave me a shudder similar to the chill that comes from feeling like the African-American race was just pushed back a couple of years. Aaron McGruder’s satire is always on point, but much like other political cartoonists, sometimes satire can border on ignorance (i.e. The New York Post’s depiction of The President-Elect as a slain primate), and I felt like it did in this episode. The satire was overboard, grotesque even, and so many n-bombs were dropped and ignorant comments were being made (in the name of satire of course) that I am shocked the FCC allowed the episode to be aired.

All in all, I am excited for the new season of the Boondocks, I just hope the next episodes are less incendiary.

incognegro

Hmmmmm….I don’t know. I am Boondocks fan – I really enjoyed the comic strip, probably more than the show itself; but I would say that the show is far more provocative than the comic strip, and definitely more comedic. But I found this particular episode to be a bit insulting, and as I was telling a friend, it gave me a shudder similar to the chill that comes from feeling like the African-American race was just pushed back a couple of years. Aaron McGruder’s satire is always on point, but much like other political cartoonists, sometimes satire can border on ignorance (i.e. The New York Post’s depiction of The President-Elect as a slain primate), and I felt like it did in this episode. The satire was overboard, grotesque even, and so many n-bombs were dropped and ignorant comments were being made (in the name of satire of course) that I am shocked the FCC allowed the episode to be aired.

All in all, I am excited for the new season of the Boondocks, I just hope the next episodes are less incendiary.

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The Black Youth Project examines the attitudes, resources and culture of the young black millennials.

We have three core areas of focus: knowledge, voice, and action. Knowledge is the research we perform on Black millennials ages 18-35. Voice is the high-quality news and opinions written by Black millennials on this platform. Action is the work done through our sister organization BYP100.